How do I overcome writer's block?

Just tell yourself you're being stupid. really, I would suggest getting tea, or taking a break, but I've found that just increases frustration. in the end you have to sit down and do it. Nothing else will really work

If you're having such a hard time with it, maybe you should work on something else for a while. Or, if you really want to stick with this short story, have someone else read it and talk to that person about it.

Jessianodel said:

sit down and do it. Nothing else will really work

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This.

The only way to get rid of writer's block, if there is such an ailment, is to sit down and write. Once you are writing, you are over it.

Something that works for me: asking questions about what I've already written, or what I want to write. Basic, 5th grade level questions, nothing fancy. I usually only ask 3 questions to keep from getting bogged down in the exercise.

Where are the main characters?
Why are they there?
What do they do while they're there?
How did they get there? (Walk, drive, car)
What time of day/month/year is it?

Just really, REALLY simple stuff. The simpler it is, the less intimidating it is to answer the questions and it helps me realise when I've been ambiguous about something that's important. It also gets me thinking about the work and usually inspires me into writing.

Good luck!

That doesn't sound like writer's block, that sounds like procrastination. Revising is when the writing becomes work and who likes that? Best thing you can do is just sit down and do it.

Think on this: Mary Shelley got Frankenstein published at 19. What have YOU done today? Also, writer's block is bull[CENSORED].

I write the stupidest sentence or title I can. Any old crap. Making it stupid frees me up and reminds me it's only to get me started. Kind of like a lost-wax process - the original structure may be lost in the creative process, but it's necessary to start off.

Sometimes I end up with a whole string of stupid, and it's only a learning experience. That's the way it goes.

A good friend has told me that if I find I have nothing to write, maybe it's time to read for a while and broaden the horizons. Can't argue with that!

Birol said:

That doesn't sound like writer's block, that sounds like procrastination. Revising is when the writing becomes work and who likes that? Best thing you can do is just sit down and do it.

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Yep. Start by unplugging the internet!

It doesn't happen to me very often, but when I get really, really stuck, I get a main character, or the protag or the antag to write me a letter telling me what he/she would most like to have happen in their story.

Strange, but it works for me.

I also use the same technique when I'm undecided just which way I should have one or more characters go. Sometimes, as a variant, I will get 2 characters to write to each other.

Imagine someone walking into a store and reading the back of your book. She's so excited! She buys it, rushes to get home and cracks it open.

You're On!

Stop navel-gazing, and concentrate.

Stanelle said:

I am working on trying to revise a short story and it is all I can do to keep coming back to it!! How can I keep my mind on my short story? :d

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Maybe you're not ready to do the revision yet. Sometimes a story needs to simmer a bit before the next step. Try working on a new project for a little while and come back to the first one.

I fall into the same trap. I don't call it writer's block, I call it storyitis. The disease whereupon I've become bored with the story and don't wish to continue. I have an idea file that I refer to when I contract this menace. I'll start writing a different piece and sometimes it will give me the perspective I need to finish the other. Sometimes, though, I just realize I was trying to write a crap story and made a good decision moving on to something else.

I know the axiom "Finish what you start" is strong advice but I feel like it's a waste of my time to spin wheels when there are things I feel like I can finish waiting in the wings whilst I work out of this frustrating bind. If I let that go on too long, I lose the will to write anything. Better to put words on the page than struggle with something that just isn't working.

But different things work for different people... I'll be cheering for you to find a way around your block

I sympathise. My wife got writer's block.

It struck about three weeks ago. She sat down to write her shopping list and a half hour later I heard her crying softly. I asked her what's wrong. She shook her head and said, "My mind's gone blank. I can't think what to write."

I asked her what she's written already, but there was nothing except the title "Shopping List" across the top of the paper.

At first it didn't seem like a big deal, but after a couple of days we began to run low on essentials like milk, bread, toilet rolls and chocolate biscuits. But we didn't panic. We were both confident that she would get over it and everything would be okay.

I tried getting her to just do an outline first, you know, major headings like meat, veg, cleaning materials, but she's never been one to outline. She prefers to let it just flow onto the page. She talked about left-brain/right-brain stuff that was beyond me. (My first wife used to outline and never suffered a block, but -- of course -- I couldn't mention that.)

I heard that some people write better in the mornings, get up an hour early while it's quiet and there are no distractions, but that hasn't helped. I came down and found her running the hoover around, with wet cheeks. Afternoons, evenings, no difference.

I suggested that she starts small. Instead of writing the whole shopping list, maybe just put together a list of ingredients for a chocolate sponge cake. To her credit she was up for the challenge, but it just wouldn't come.

I asked her to try writing something else, like a sick note. Blocked, and broken.

We got beyond hungry. I was out of suggestions and losing weight. In the end I knew it was hopeless, that I couldn't spend the rest of my life with her like this, so I broke it to her yesterday morning that we're through. I suggested that she should make a list of her things, and I'll do the same with mine, and we can argue about the stuff we both want later. Would you believe it, she sat down to write her list and the words flowed. Left-brain, right-brain, front-brain, rear-brain, whatever. The blockage is gone and she's writing again. We're still parting, of course - who knows when she might block again? But for now she's writing and her smile is back, and that's the main thing.

Earlier in the week I discovered a machine that takes my thoughts and transmits them to A4 paper, doubles spaced, single sided. I thought never needed to write again. Shortly after, I awoke to eat my cornflakes; it was just a dream. When I'm awake I have to write with my fingers and my brain. There's no machine.

Such is life.

The wizard can help you, Dorothy.

ETA: That's not a joke link, it's real advice.

Try some good ol' caffeine too. 500mg (2.5 large cups) should do the trick. Get to work!

semmie said:

This.

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Hey, I found your "this". Do I get finder's fee?

There is no such thing.
Writers like to dramatise things. I often get very, very stuck in the middle of a project but I do not allow myself to invest such times with the gravity of the label' writer's block'

http://awfullybigblogadventure.blogspot.com/search?q=writer's+block+N+M+Browne

There should be some sort of sticky about this. This is one of the most frequently reoccurring topics.

You just gotta keep writing, its really that simple. You either make yourself write or you don't, its completely up to you.